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Sober in AA on the Camino de Santiago
I was just three years sober when I thought it was a great idea to take a month and walk the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain; more specifically the French Way Camino. I have no idea why, but it never occurred to me that I would be going for a month without going to an…
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Staying Sober at Christmas and New Year in Alcoholics Anonymous
Staying sober at New Year and Christmas the first year in AA can seem like an insurmountable challenge – it is not. Do whatever you need to do to get passed this time of the year for the first time and perhaps focus on the differences to the past. If that is too much find…
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Why Social Anxiety and Alcohol Don’t Mix Well
You knew him from school. He used to be shy and quiet, always kept to himself. Hanging ’round the corners, not really trying to speak to anyone. Sometimes he looked like he was depressed, but usually, he was just distant. He did alright in class, but when some teacher would call him out to speak…
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The Presence Process Approach to Treating Addiction
In Part 1 of Mindfulness-Based Approach to Treating Addiction, we learned what mindfulness is and how it can be applied to treating alcoholism, with focus empirical evidence for its efficiency, as well as the possibility of integration with other forms of therapy. But there are also stand-alone, do-it-yourself mindfulness practices. Since mindfulness methods are generally…
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Can Mindfulness Training Help to Treat Alcoholism
If there’s a bigger challenge than making a person quit drinking, then it’s certainly preventing a relapse. The data from the 80s used to show a grim image: the early studies of generic inpatient programs found that 80 to 90% of alcoholics relapsed in the first year after treatment when relapse was defined as a…
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Is Fear the Root of Addiction and Alcoholism?
One big-boned, but faint-hearted boy’s existence was riddled with fear and worry, as he was often bullied by other boys. All until this idea occurred to his best friend – if the boy drank some of the magic potion that made the adults in their village invincible, that might give him the courage to fight…
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Can Counselling Help Alcoholics and Addicts Stop Drinking?
Before I go through my story I will cut to the chase – I don’t know if counselling can a practicing alcoholic or addict. But I believe that it can help those close to them. Alcoholism affects the people around the alcoholic, and these people can benefit greatly from outside help – and I mean…
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Alcoholics Anonymous is a New Habit Forming Machine
In many ways Alcoholics Anonymous is a new habit generating machine – it almost demands that you leave behind old habits and form new ones to stay sober. The first step in AA asks me to look at my life and my drinking and accept the fact that I cannot drink with safety. It also…
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A Letter to my 18 Year Old Self
It is hard to look back and see how it would be possible before you are 18 for you to be able to take any of my advice. Life has been messy, very messy for you up to this point, and even looking back I can’t see any avenues for escape from the family that…
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Is Practice the Answer to all Confidence Issues?
I am currently reading Pure Sport: Practical Sport Psychology. The chapter that I am currently reading and was looking forward to is on relaxation – because I am so relaxed… (How many do you know in AA who are?) In the middle of the chapter the authors cover dealing with the lack of confidence in…